ST. LOUIS – It was a dream of playing lacrosse at a higher level that drew Coach Andy Joly toward extending his career after several years coaching at Missouri Baptist. The Spartan Head Coach fulfilled that dream last week as he was named to the roster for the St. Louis Centurions of the CILL (Continental Indoor Lacrosse League).

Joly will make his semi-professional debut with the Centurions in the 2017 season at forward, marking his first playing experience after college. While attending the University of Missouri, Joly played for the Tigers at attack on the MCLA Division I squad.

"They are a well-run organization," said Andy Joly. "In their first year, they went all the way to the CILL Semifinals. They let me practice with them once over the winter last year and I had an absolute blast!"

The Centurions play box lacrosse, the indoor version of the outdoor sport. Each team is comprised of one goalie and five "runners," or non-goalie players, on the court at once. St. Louis' team is the first in the state of Missouri and includes team in Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

"Box lacrosse is incredibly challenging, it is nothing like outdoor lacrosse," said Joly. Practicing with those guys last year was incredibly humbling and it sparked a desire to make myself a better player and find out if I had what it took."

Former Spartan Ian Brosch, who will be in his second year on the team, will play transition. Brosch was a multi-time MCLA All-American and one of the top faceoff specialists to have ever donned the navy and white.

Though the schedule has not been released as of yet, the schedule will likely begin in late June and feature approximately six regular season games.